Paranoid Schizophrenia

Paranoid Schizophrenia is a form of Schizophrenia, which is a form of mental illness. People with schizophrenia often suffer from hallucinations or delusions that manifest themselves only to the sufferer. The disease is commonly mistaken with multiple personality disorder, another mental illness with similar symptoms. The main difference is that while people with multiple personalities contain all of the personalities within their own body, a schizophrenic has full blown hallucinations and delusions that manifest themselves as separate entities from the sufferer (but are only visible or perceivable by the schizophrenic herself).

Paranoid schizophrenia typically manifests itself while a person is in his or her late twenties or early thirties (though it is usually later). The disease reveals itself in the form of anxiety, unusual behaviour, social withdrawal and a decline in functional abilities. Paranoid schizophrenia usually manifests itself as a milder form of schizophrenia with the sufferer growing more paranoid as the disease progresses. Typical delusions of paranoid schizophrenics involve the feeling that they are being spied on, poisoned, and that somehow their thoughts are being tapped into and broadcast for the general population to hear. These delusions can involve intricate storylines and often the paranoid schizophrenic will "prove" their theories with instances that only they have seen, heard or understood. They also project these delusions onto others. Suddenly a person talking on their cell phone is a covert agent who is reporting the schizophrenic's every move to an evil entity.

Sometimes the delusions come in the form of sounds (usually voices) that nobody else can hear. With paranoid schizophrenia the sounds are usually antagonistic and could often "command" the schizophrenic to hurt him or herself or to hurt others. Other physical symptoms involve disorganized thinking, physical immobility (sometimes progressing into periods of catatonia), excessive movements that do not serve a purpose and cannot be controlled, extremely disorganized and irrational behaviour, either an absence or excess of emotion and diminished interpersonal communication.

Nobody is sure what causes paranoid schizophrenia, but it is believed that schizophrenics experienced difficulties with the development of their brains. They also seem to have problems with the areas of the brain that are high in dopamine production. Unfortunately paranoid schizophrenics aren't likely to seek out treatment for their disease because they often think that they are the only sane person in the room. What's more, paranoid schizophrenia is often hard to diagnose. There is no blood or imaging tests that will definitively diagnose the disease.

Treatment of paranoid schizophrenia can include antipsychotic medications to prevent or lessen psychotic episodes, group therapy, individual psychotherapy and social skills training. Once a person has been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic they usually do not return to their old lifestyles without excessive therapy and treatment. Sometimes the only long term care involves social services, group homes or even hospitalization if the patient is determined to be a danger to himself or others.
Schizophrenics often have to depend on help from friends and families to stay on their meds and to stick with their thera

Signs of Schizophrenia Tip #1

Schizophrenia is not the same thing as having multiple personality disorder. In multiple personality disorder a person has a number of independent identities that all share one host body. Typically one of the personalities is dominant and the others exist under the surface. With Schizophrenia, there could be independent personalities but the person suffering from the disease believes that these identities exist outside of him or herself.

Signs of Schizophrenia Tip #2

There are different types of schizophrenia. The most widely known is that of paranoid schizophrenia in which the schizophrenic believes that there are people who are out to "get" him (or her). Commonly the patient associates himself with an elite group and believes that it is his membership with that group that has made him a target of others.

Signs of Schizophrenia Tip #3

Schizophrenia is normally treated with anti-psychotic drugs. There are new drugs being developed all the time. Other treatments include Electro Convulsive Therapy in which the patient is driven to convulsions by receiving a series of shocks to the brain. This treatment is thought to fix the electrochemical balance of the brain.